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SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 
BULLETIN NUMBER ONE 



ALKALI and 

WATER LOGGED 

LANDS 




i 



i 



i 



By 
THE LANDS COMMITTEE 






Salt Lake Commercial 
Club "Bulletin No. One 



Alkali and 

Water Logged 

Lands 




By THE LANDS COMMITTEE 



COMMERCIAL CLUB, Inc. 

SALT LAKE CITY 



OFFICERS: 
W. F. JENSEN, - - President 
FRANK S. MURPHY, Vice-President 
JOHN F. BENNETT, - Treasurer 
W. C. STARK, - - Secretary 



EDITED BY 

W. C. ALEXANDER, Chairman 
Lands Committee 







J? 

^<0 ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 



Acknowledgment. 

N PRESENTING this bulletin to the public, the Salt Lake 
Commercial Club, through its Lands Committee, wishes 
f^^ to acknowledge its indebtedness to the following authori- 
ties on the subject of reclamation, and to express its appre- 
ciation for the generous responses to requests for the 
articles contained in this, the first of a series of bulletins it is pro- 
posed to publish. 

E. W. HiLGARD, L.L.D., Ph.D., 

Chemist (Emeritus) of the University of Cahfornia. 

Robert Stewart, B.S., Ph.D., 
Chemist of the Utah Agricultural College. 

E. D. Ball, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., 

Director of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. 

L. A. Merrill, B.S., 

Agricultural Expert Salt Lake Route and United States Mining, 
Smelting and Refining Company. 

R. A. Hart, B.S., C.E., 

Supervising Drainage Engineer of the United States Department 
of Agriculture. 

J. C. Wheelon, 

. Chief Engineer of the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company. , 

It is to be hoped that the articles herein will correct, in a measure, 
the general misapprehension regarding alkaline soils. "Alkali," as the 
term is commonly used in the west, conveys to the average mind some 
harmful substance whose presence in soils renders the land practically 
valueless from an agricultural standpoint. That the prevailing opinion 
is contrary to the fact is shown by the contributions to this publication, 
notably in the initial article by Prof. E. W. Hilgard, 



CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK 

COPYRIGHT. 191-i. 
BY THE COMMERCIAL CLJB 



ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 



Introduction. 




^g^HE OBJECT of this bulletin is to place before the public 
authoritative information regarding the practicability of 
reclaiming by means of sub-drainage, alkaline and water- 
logged lands generally, and with specific reference to and 
urging the development of the major portion of an area of 

land approximating 50,000 acres lying between Salt Lake City and 

Great Salt Lake. 

This area of desert — and in many sections unsightly — waste is 
in excess of ten per cent of the total acreage of Salt Lake County, and 

is equal to forty per cent of 
its improved land in farms. 
The articles contained 
in this issue, which have 
been generously contributed 
by authorities, whose opin- 
ions are final in all matters 
pertaining to reclamation, 
should leave in the minds of 
even the most skeptical, no 
doubt whatever relative to 
the feasibility of successful 
reclamation of alkaline and 
water logged lands by 
m.eans of drainage. 

There can be no question 
regarding the efficiency of 
drainage, but largely influ- 
encing its economic success 
is the factor of proper out- 
let for drainage waters. It 
therefore follows that in 
every district where a drain- 
age system is contemplated, this primary element should be the sub- 
ject of careful investigation. 

Topographical conditions under v/hich successful drainage of the 
land west of this city must be accomplished, are such as to require 
much attention to this important feature. The altitude of the land with 
reference to the varying levels of Great Salt Lake (upon which depends 
the practical operation of a gravity drainage system) renders this con- 
sideration one of unusual importance. To the end of supplying a 
small measure of accurate information on the subject of elevations, the 
Commercial Club secured the vservices of a competent engineer, who 




6 SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 

ran levels from the lake to the central portion of the tract under con- 
sideration. The result of his work dispels any doubt whatever regard- 
ing the sufficiency of outlet for gravity drainage for approximately 
ninety per cent of the land traversed, basing the elevation of discharge 
upon the average level of Great Salt Lake for the past quarter of a cen- 
tury. A graphical chart indicating the relative land and varying lake 
levels, together with a brief report and map of Salt Lake County by 
the engineer will be found elsewhere in this issue. 

It is not the purpose of the Commercial Club to enter into a tech- 
nical discussion relative to engineering, the sufficiency of water for irri- 
gation or other features involved in the ultimate reclamation of this 
great tract, or, to pass upon the merit of any existing enterprise. It is 
the development of the tract as a whole in which this club is interested 
to the end that it may conform to the otherwise unsurpassed environ- 
ment of Salt Lake City. 




ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 



ECONOMIC CONDITIONS 

To the most casual analyst of local opportunity for profitable 
investment in a drainage enterprise, it must be readily apparent that this 
area possesses exceptional economic advantages. It lies within a short 
distance of Salt Lake City, which affords the largest as well as the 

best market in Utah for all 
produce and is the distrib- 
uting center of the inter- 
mountain west. Its prox- 
imity to the city offers su- 
perior educational and so- 
cial advantages with little 
inconvenience, and nowhere 
within the State is to be 
found an undeveloped area, 
similar in extent, which is 
so well served with all 
classes of public utilities. 

The transportation fa- 
cilities are exceptional. Ex- 
tending through the cen- 
tral portion of the tract is 
the Salt Lake & Los An- 
geles (Saltair) Railroad, 
and to the south, within a 
distance of less than two 
miles from it, are the lines 
of the Salt Lake Route 
and the Western Pacific 
Railroads. Electrical energy for commercial and domestic purposes is 
easily available from the transmission system of the Utah Power & 
Light Company, while telephone and telegraph service may be obtained 
from the lines which traverse this area. Topographical conditions are 
such that highways of very light grades, leading to almost every section, 
may be constructed and maintained at very low cost. 




RECLAMATION 

The feasibility of successfully reclaiming these lands by means of 
drainage has advanced beyond the experimental period. This state- 
ment has been confirmed by the United States Department of Agricul- 
ture, acting jointly with the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station on 
what is known as the "Swan Tract," an area of forty acres in Section 
5, Township 1 south. Range 1 west, on the line of the Western Pacific 
Railroad. This acreage was selected as representative of perhaps the 
worst possible soil condition to be found on the tract. Not only was 
the land water logged but the alkaline content so high that, in places 



SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 



upon its salt incrusted surface, even native plant growth was utterly 
impossible. Within the short period of a year, this farm, under intelli- 
gent management, produced a satisfactory crop and is now regarded as 
being the best "40" west of the city. A brief article by Prof. L. A. 
Merrill regarding the results of this experiment will be found in this 
booklet. 

An entirely successful demonstration of drainage reclamation by 
private enterprise, under conditions similar to those of the Swan Tract, 
has been a recent accomplishment by the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company 
in Bear River Valley under the able direction of its chief engineer, J. C. 
Wheelon, by whom an instructive article has been contributed. The 
articles by Prof. E. D. Ball of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Sta- 
tion, R. A. Hart of the Department of the Interior and Mr. Wheelon, 
regarding the practicability of reclaiming worthless lands by means of 
drainage, should be thoroughly convincing. 




SOIL 



Concerning the chemical composition of the soil of this tract (aside 
from its alkaline content), it is shown by analyses that the elements 
essential to plant growth are found in such quantities as to assure com- 
mercial agricultural success. The Utah Agricultural Experiment Sta- 
tion, in co-operation with the Bureau of Soils of the United States 
Department of Agriculture, at the time the soil survey of this tract was 
made, collected some fifty samples from various portions of the land, 
and included in this bulletin is an exhaustive article by Prof. Robert 



ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 9 

Stewart of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, thoroughly cov- 
ering this essential subject and which, through his courtesy, is for 
the first time given to the public. 

From the foregoing and the articles following, two conclusions, at 
least, will be reached : First, that this area offers unusual opportunities 
for investment in drainage enterprises, from which very exceptional 
profits may be realized. Second, and far the more important from a 
civic viewpoint — the transformation of this, the most conspicuous 
waste in Utah, into productive fields and gardens. 



PUBLIC OPINION 

The environs of Salt Lake City, with the single exception of this 
area, are rarely equaled. The beauty of the surrounding scenery is 
nowhere in the west surpassed. Particularly is this true of its many 

magnificent canyons, but, unfortu- 
nately, the greater percentage of 
visitors rarely spend sufficient time 
here to visit them and their opin- 
ions are largely based upon obser- 
vations from passing trains. The 
railroads leading north and south 
from this city traverse a country, 
the greater portion of which is un- 
der a high state of cultivation ; the 
fields and orchards with their back- 
ground of majestic mountains bear 
silent testimony to the fertility of 
the soil and industry of the people. 
The impression on the traveler is 
salutary. 

In striking and disagreeable 

contrast is the impression received 

in traveling westerly through the 

area under discussion. Traversing 

its southern boundary are two 

transcontinental lines, the Western 

Pacific and Salt Lake Route, while 

bisecting it is the Saltair Railroad which, during the summer season, 

carries constantly increasing thousands of visitors to Utah's world- 

fan^ous lake and its equally famous resort — Saltair. 

The opinion which all travelers automatically form in traversing 
this unsightly forbidding waste is justly unfavorable and one which 
at best cannot but reflect negatively upon an otherwise progressive 
community. 

The advertising value of favorable expression by travelers con- 
cerning any section of the country visited is difficult to measure. Its 




10 



SALT LAKE COMMERCL\L CLUB 




influence is far reaching and very often the pleased visitor l^econies a 
satisfied investor and frequently a resident. 

Pleasing environment of a well equipped city offers an uncon- 
scious inducement to the itinerant to prolong his visit, during which 
th.e active man of business is certain to inquire relative to local condi- 
t'ons and opportunities. The longer the visitor remains the greater 
the likelihood of his engaging in the affairs of the community. This 

interest in turn ex- 
tends to his associ- 
ates, all of which 
tends to the up- 
building of the 
state. 

It is outside cap- 
ital for develop- 
ment of which all 
western states 
stand in need. No- 
where in the inter- 
mountain west do 
so many opportu- 
nities exist as in 
Utah, a state which 
has within its 
boundaries all of 
the resources of an 
empire. No western state stands more in need of financial assistance 
to develop its wonderful resources than Utah — resources which are as 
yet, practically untouched and local capital, however actively it may 
be employed, is far from sufficient to realize even a fraction of the 
results which are possible with the opportunities everywhere at hand. 




ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 11 



CONCLUSION 

Agricultural expansion of the arid states is restricted by reason 
of topographical conditions or scarcity of water, to comparatively nar- 
row limits. This unquestionably applies to the State of Utah gener- 
ally and to Salt Lake County in particular. Considering the limited 
undeveloped area in this country which is susceptible of cultivation 
and its proximity to the largest city in the State, it is difficult to deter- 
mine the cause for its present condition. That the soil is alkaline should 
aflford no ground for apprehension regarding the ultimate result of de- 
velopment. The practical demonstration on the "Swan Tract" has 
long since proven its feasibility. But one logical reason seems to 
remain — the lack of publicity concerning the truth relating to the suc- 
cessful reclamation of this class of land and the intrinsic value of this 
particular tract. 

In presenting this bulletin, it is with the desire that it may prove, 
in a measure at least, educational and if there shall follow as a result 
of this effort to correct erroneous impressions, a measure of activity 
leading to the development of this tract, the endeavors of the Salt Lake 
Commercial Club to that end, through its Lands Committee, will not 
have been in vain. 




12 



SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 




A WELL KNOWN FARM LOCATED SOUTH OF SALT LAKE CITY. 

hulicalcs the agricultural development which is possible to ctpial in the 
area west of the city. 




A TYPICAL FARM NORTH OF SALT LAKE CITY UNDER A HIGH 
STATE OF CULTIVATION. 

This farm, with many others, adds to the environment of Utah's metropolis. 



ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 13 



Mr. IV. C. Stark, 

Secretary Commercial Club, 
Salt Lake City. 

In response to your request that I should give to you some special 
expression of my views regarding alkali lands and their cultural value 
I might say, summarily, that both chemical investigation and practical 
experience have shown that when such lands are once freed from excess 
of salts which injure useful vegetation they prove exceptionally and 
lastingly productive ; more so even than the non-alkaline lands lying 
adjacent. The fact that they result from the failure of adequate rainfall 
to leach out the salts at once indicates that all the active soil ingredients 
are retained, the useful ones as well as the useless, so that so soon as 
the useless or injurious salts like common and Glaubers salts and 
carbonate of soda are removed there remains an accumulation of plant 
food which for a long time renders fertilization unnecessary, provided 
only that proper deep cultivation is practiced and maintained, so that 
the crop roots can reach the great depths to which the available soil 
almost always reaches in these lands. They are therefore eminently 
adapted to intensive culture, such as truck-farming, where markets are 
available. The maintenance of good surface mulch of loose soil, to 
prevent unnnecessary evaporation from the surface, is of course as 
needful in alkali lands as in other dry-farming soils of the arid region. 
But owing to the remaining saline ingredients, reclaimed alkali soils 
are always more easily kept in a moist condition which greatly helps 
vegetation. 

While the reclamation of alkali lands by drainage is somewhat ex- 
pensive in extreme cases, there is a large porportion of them that, while 
showing some salts on the surface before cultivation, may be made to 
produce large crops by deep and thorough tillage and the maintenance 
of a good surface mulch, alone. The one deficiency of most of these 
lands is lack of humus, but this can readily be made up by turning under 
the abundant vegetation they produce. 

E. W. HiLGARD. 




14 



SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 





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AT.KAIJ AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 15 



Salt Lake City, Utah, 

January 2nd, 1914. 
Mr. W. C. Alexander, 

Chairman Lands Committee Commercial Club, 
Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Dear Sir: 

Complying with your instructions, I ran levels on the Salt Lake 
Meridian from Salt Lake City to Great Salt Lake, connecting with the 
guage of the United States Weather Bureau at Saltair. When running 
these levels, I took the elevation of certain lands lying adjacent to the 
Meridian which are indicated on map of Salt Lake County, herewith. 

The levels taken disclose the following facts : 

(1) The elevation of the present level (January 1st, 1914) of 
Great Salt Lake is 4229 feet above sea level. 

(2) The elevation of the highest land (near Ewing Station) 
covered by these levels is 4256. 

(3) The elevation of the lowest land surveyed (near the works 
of the Inland Crystal Salt Co.) is 4238. 

(4) The average elevation of land covered by these levels is 
4244 feet above sea level. (All elevations refer to Salt Lake City 
datum.) 

Therefore, the greater portion of the land surveyed is susceptible 
of gravity drainage' with outlet into Great Salt Lake with tile placed 
at a depth of five feet under ground, so long as the water level of 
the Lake remains below a reading of thirteen (13') feet on the guage 
of the United States Weather Bureau at Saltair. 

Should the water level of the Lake arise above this level, a gravity 
system of drainage would fail and a pumping system would be re- 
quired. 

In order that some opinion may be formed as to the possibility 
of the Lake attaining to that height, I am submitting herewith a dia- 
gram showing the fluctuations of the Lake from the year 1862 to date. 
On this diagram are indicated the elevation of the Lucin Cut Off of the- 
Southern Pacific Railroad across the Lake and the pier at Saltair, also 
the elevations of the land surveyed. 

Yours very respectfully, 

L. C. Stubbins, C. E. 

Chief Engineer Richlands Irrigation Co. 



16 



SALT LAKE COMMERCLAL CLUB 

^ - ^ ■ ,-J I 




COUNTy 



ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 



17 



C UN TV 



MORGAN 

"\ COUNTY 




Map of 
SALT LAKE COUNTY. UTAH 

F^° SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 



.-C STUBBINS 



To accomfjany BULLETIN N91 

of the LANDS COMMiTTEC. 
w.c. Alexander, Chairmaa 



[COPYRIGHT, 1914. BY THE COMMERCIAL CLUB) 



18 



SALT LAKE COMMERCL\L CLUB 





1 




1 or 


IT 1 1000 

ONITS 
240 

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190 

160 

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TO 

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W 

40 

30 

20 

10 






1 










CHART TO ACC0M~NV 

BULLETIN NSI or-rMt 
Salt Lake City Commercial Club 

showing Increase in Pof>ulation, Improved Farms, 
and Farm Products in SALT LAKE COUNTY 




































2_ 
















^V 






Compiled froiT> 






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Marl, 1914 

L.CSTU88INS 

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Appu'ox. Total Land in Farms - i 


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ApproX-Ahea or SALT LAKE COUNTY = 48 

La,no in Farms = it 
lMP«ovE.o Land IN Farms IN I9l0 • I2 




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ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 



19 



THE SOILS OF SALT LAKE COUNTY 

BY 

Robert Stewart, Chemist, Utah Experiment Station. 

A complete soil survey of the region lying west of the Jordan River 
in Salt Lake County, Utah, was made in 1899 by the Utah Experiment 
Station in co-operation with the Bureau of Soils of the United States 
Department of Agriculture. The physical and alkali conditions of the 
area are quite thoroughly discussed in the report of the survey which 
may be obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture, or 
from the Utah Experiment Station. In this report no discussion was 
made regarding the plant-food content of the soil and it is therefore the 
purpose of this article to give a brief discussion of the fertility of the 
soil from the viewpoint of plant-food actually present in the soil. 

At the time of the survey, samples of soil representative of the 
important soil types to a depth of twelve (12) inches were carefully 
collected and preserved for chemical analysis. The Jordan Sandy 
loam comprises above 30% of the area investigated. Gardner and 
Stewart in their report of the survey say, "The Jordan Sandy loam is 
easily cultivated and is sufficiently fertile to produce almost any class 
of crops. It forms the most valuable portion of the low salty area, 
because of the ease with which it may be reclamed by underdrainage 
and washing." 

The analysis of these samples of soil from this type are reported in 
Table 1. Phosphorus, Potassium and Nitrogen in Jordan Sandy Loam. 
(Results expressed as pounds per two million of soil.) 



Labora- 


Description and Location of 


Phos- 


Potas- 


Nitro- 


tory No. 


Samples 


phorus 


sium 


gen 


19523 


NE Corner of SE Quarter of Sec. 27, 










Township 3 S, Range 1 W 


2800 


18600 


2400 


19527 


South Center of Sec. 22, Township 1 










S, Range 1 W 


5600 


11600 


5420 


19536 


Near NE Corner of Sec. 15, Town- 










ship 2 S, Range 1 W 


4400 


10200 


2160 . 


19537 


SE Corner of Sec. 5, Township 2 S, 










Range 1 W 


4600 


21000 


3460 


19538 


E Center of Sec. 3, Township 2 S, 










Range 1 W 


3800 


21000 


2520 


19539 


N Center of Sec. 10, Township 2 S, 










Range 1 W 


4000 


12400 


2900 


19542 


N Center of Sec. 27, Township 2 S, 










Range 1 W 


3800 


15600 


3300 


19544 


NE Corner of Sec. 29, Township 2 S, 










Range 2 W 


6800 


15000 


3300 


19545 


Near S. Center of Sec. 18, Township 










1 S. Range 2 W 


2800 


5400 


2660 


19547 


SW Corner of Sec. 22, Township 1 S, 






Range 2 W 


4800 


16200 


2120 


19548 


SE Corner of Sec. 28, Township 1 S, 






Range 2 W 


2400 


12000 


3000 


19550 


S Center of Sec. 1, Township 1 S, 










Range 2 W 


2200 


13600 


2080 


1 Average 


4000 


12633 


2948 



20 



SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 



The soils of this type are very rich in phosphorus. A soil contain- 
ing 2200 pounds of phosphorus per two million pounds of soil is re- 
garded as rich in this element. It will be noted that none of_ the samples 
analyzed contain a smaller quantity of phosphorus than this, while the 
average amount of phosphorus present is 4000 pounds per two million 
pounds. 

The potassium content is also high. A soil containing 11500 
pounds of potassium per two million of soil is abundantly supplied with 
potassium. Only one sample falls below this amount, and many of them 
greatly exceed it, while the average amount is greater by 1100 pounds. 
With the proper methods of cultivation the amount of potassium present 
is sufificient for indefinite periods of time for ordinary general farm 
crops. 

The amount of nitrogen present is as in all arid soils, somewhat 
low — but by the proper utilization of the ability of legume crops to 
secure nitrogen from the air this deficiency can easily be corrected in a 
])roper system of agriculture. 

Table 2. Phosphorus, Potassium and Nitrogen in Jordan Mcadoivs. 
(Results expressed as pounds per two million of soil.) 



I abora- 
tnry No. 


Description and Location of 
Samples 


Phos» 
phorus 


Potas- 
sium 


Nitro- 
gen 


19524 


NE Corner of NW Quarter of 
14, Township 3 S, Range 1 W. 

NE Corner of Sec. 11, Township 
Range 1 W 


Sec. 


2600 
3200 


14600 
17000 


2020 


19540 


2 S, 


5820 



Average | 2900 | 15800 | 3920 



The composition of the soil of the Jordan Meadows is indicated 
in Table 2. The conclusions arrived at by a study of the results for 
the Jordan sandy loam, apply here also. 

Tarle 3. Phosphorus, Potassium and Nitrogen in the Jordan Loam. 
(Results expressed as pounds per two million of soil.) 



labora-l Description and Location of 
tnryNo.l Samples 


Phos- 
phorus 


Potas- 
sium 


Nitro- 
gen 


19525 1 About 2 miles NE of Harriman, 
1 Township 3 S, Range 1 W.' 

19526 1 NW Corner of Sec. 29, Township 1 
1 S. Range 1 W 

19541 I NW Corner of Sec. 4, Township 1 S, 

Range 1 W 

19543 Near Center of Sec. 28, Township 
1 2 S, Range 1 W 


1 
2600 17000 1780 

3400 1 14000 1 2520 

1 
2800 15800 2260 

3400 16000 2440 


1 Average 


2800 15700 1 2225 



The composition of the Jordan loam is shown in Table 3. This 
soil lii<e the Jordan INIeadows and Jordan sandy loam is well supplied 
with the elements of plant food. 



ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 



21 



Table 4. Phosphorus, Potassium and Nitrogen in Jordan Clay. 
(Results expressed as pounds per two million of soil.) 



Labora- 
tory No. 



Description and Location of 
Samples 



I Phos- I Potas- I Nitro- 
I phorus 1 slum | gen 



19546 I N Center of Sec. 5, Township 1 S, 
I Range 2 W 



1400 



13000 I 1260 



The composition of the Jordan clay is indicated in Table 4. This 
is a much poorer type of soil than the others since it contains only half 
as much phosphorus and nitrogen. Soil of this type is also very compact 
and difficult to drain. 

Table 5. Phosphorus, Potassium and Nitrogen in Soils on Higher 

Lands of Salt Lake County. 

(Results expressed as pounds per two million of soil.) 



1 abcra- 


Description and Location of 


Phos- 


Potas- 


Nitro- 


torv No.| 


Sample 


phorus 


sium 


gen 


19528 1 


Near E Center of Sec. 29, Township 










1 S, Range 1 E 


3000 


14800 


4860 


19529 1 


Near W Center of Sec. 14, Township 










2 S, Range 1 E 


3800 


17200 


274<) 


19530 1 


E Center of Sec. 17, Township 2 S, 










Range 1 E 


3000 


11600 


2S&0 


19531 1 


E Part of NW Quarter of Sec. 32, 










Township 2 S, Range 1 E 


2600 


7800 


35ai 


19534 1 


Near Center of SW Quarter of Sec. 










31, Township 1 S, Range 1 E 


3600 


14000 


2400 


19535 1 


NW Corner of Sec. 19, Township 1 










S, Range 1 E 


4200 


13000 


5740 


1 


Average 


3370 


13400 


3200 



The results in Table 5 show the composition of the older cultivated, 
lands in the vicinity of Murray. They are given here for comparison. 
It may be noted that the soils west of Salt Lake are nearly as well sup- 
plied with nitrogen and potassium and far more abundantly supplied 
with phosphorus. Sufficient accurate chemical evidence is thus pre- 
sented upon which to base a confident statement that the soils are well 
supplied with the chemical elements of fertility. // the salts are per- 
manently removed by adequate drainage the soil should be converted 
into fertile fanns. Attention should be called to the fact that in the 
removal of alkali salts by drainage the tilth of the soil may be destroyed 
temporarily, but this condition can easily be remedied by the introduction 
of organic matter in the form of barnyard manure or by ploimig under 
a green manure crop. 



22 SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 

REDEEMING ALKALINE LANDS 

BY 

E. D. Ball, Director, Utah Experiment Station. 

If the wealth of a state is to be measured by the amount of its 
undeveloped resources, then Utah may be reckoned as one of the wealthy 
states. 

At the present time, both Government funds and private capital in 
large amounts are being used to develop new irrigated sections that will 
ultimately bring greatly increased areas under cultivation, establish new 
towns and cities and build up those already here. Some of these pro- 
jects are far from markets and lack transportational facilities and even 
with good soil and water, will develop slowly until these conditions 
change. Without the irrigation project, these conditions would probably 
never be changed and development of new territory without the "pio- 
neer" stage is impossible. 

There are, however, immense areas in the state that are close to 
established cities and towns, with transportation facilities already at 
hand, which offer just as tempting a field for investment as do the 
irrigation projects- now building. 

The "pioneering" in this case will have to be done by the company 
that develops them and not by the settlers after they are developed and 
there seems to be the rub, — pioneering work is alright — for the other 
fellow. 

The areas referred to are the alkali flats west of Salt T.ake City and 
other similar tracts extending along the Wasatch Range. Taken alto- 
gether there is an immense area of such land in the state. Land where, 
if once reclaimed and made productive, the settlers could enjoy, right 
from the start, all the advantages of proximity to markets, rural free 
delivery and social and educational advantages of well developed com- 
munities. 

Experiments already carried on by the Agricultural College and the 
U. S. Government Drainage Department, working in co-operation have 
shown that the alkali can be worked out of the land at reasonable cost 
and that once the alkali is removed, the land can, with the time and labor 
necessary to develop any virgin soil, be brought under cultivation and 
profitable crops produced. 

Just why the lands have not been developed previous to this is hard 
to understand. It certainly cannot be the cost, as experiments have 
proven that it will cost less to reclaim this land than it will to furnish 
water to any of the irrigated projects under way at the present time. It 
certainly cannot be the lack of water to wash out the alkali because the 
washing could be done in the spring or fall when the water was not in 
use. It cannot be the time involved in the washing process, a matter 
of two or three years, as many projects have taken much longer time 
than that. The only apparent explanation is the one suggested before, 
that corporations do not like to "pioneer." Their engineers have had 



ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 23 

no experience in the line of work and cannot furnish them estimates with 
the accuracy of an irrigated project and they therefore much prefer the 
beaten path. 

The agricultural possibilities of these lands, for trucking and market 
gardening are too great, however, for them to remain idle much longer. 
Some courageous corporation will pave the way and then there will be 
a scramble to get in on what must ultimately prove to be a profitable 
investment. 

There is no need, however, for capitalists to hesitate on this project. 
Agricultural experts are at hand to examine and select lands that have 
the most favorable soil conditions. Drainage engineers can give close 
estimation of the cost of installing a drainage system with laterals close 
enough to wash out the alkali in a reasonable time. Irrigation engineers 
can figure the cost of bringing water to the land and the cost of leveling 
and diking to hold the water. Anyone can figure the cost of watering 
the land to wash out the alkali, the water will do the rest. 

After the land has been washed free of harmful amounts of alkali 
then the soil will need stirring and washing for a year to overcome the 
effects of the puddling and washing to bring it into condition to grow 
crops, but any raw land must be worked up and subdued before it is 
profitably farmed. 




24 



SALT LAKE COMMERCLAL CLUB 



DRAINAGE OF ALKALI LANDS 

BY 

Prof. Lewis A. Merrill^ Agricultural Expert Salt Lake Route 
AND Secretary Utah State Conservation Commission 



For several years past the feasibility of reclaiming water-logged 
and alkali lands by tile-drainage has been urged by Government and 
State Officials. Some twelve years ago the writer, who was then con- 
nected with the Utah Experiment Station, represented the state in a 
co-operative experiment with the Government in an attempt to reclaim 
a forty acre tract near Salt Lake City. 

Irrigated lands in Salt Lake valley are worth from $125.00 to 
$250.00 per acre, and if adjacent to Salt Lake City and free from alkali 
are worth much more. There is plenty of good tile clay in the vicinity of 
Salt Lake City and tile can be and is manufactured here at a reasonable 
cost. Experience has shown that these lands can be drained at a cost of 
less than $25.00 per acre. It is apparent, therefore, that there is here 
an opportunity for a material addition to the wealth and population of 
Salt Lake valley. 

Careful estimates show that there are at least 90 square miles be- 
tween Salt Lake City and the lake that can be drained ; lands that at 
present have but a nominal value, but if properly drained would be 
worth at least six million dollars. 

That the drainage can be successfully accomplished and the alkali 
removed has already been demonstrated. In 1902 the "Swan tract," 
consisting of 40 acres, lying 4 miles west of Salt Lake City in Sec. 5 
Township 1 S., R. 1 W., was underlaid with tile at a cost of $660.00 

This land was strongly impregnated with alkali salts and was con- 
sidered practically valueless. After installation of tiles, the land was 
flooded practically each week for an irrigation season. 

Before any water was applied to the tract, however, a detailed 
survey was made to determine the alkali content of the soil. The 
following table gives the tonnage of alkali in the tract, as shown by 
these surveys : 

Quantity of Alkali in the First Four Feet of Soil in the Sivaii Tract. 



^ Soil 


Septembke, 1902 


May, 1903 


October, 1913 


Sections 


Alkali 1 Percent 
in 40a 1 of Total 


Alkali Percent 1 *Percent 
in 40a ] of Total | Lost 


Alkali 1 Percent 1 * Per 
in 40a 1 of Total IceniLost 


1st Ft. 1363 
2nd Ft. 1540 
3rd Ft. 1766 
4th Ft. 1 1982 


20 
23 
27 
30 


499 

650 

1066 

1265 


14 63 
19 58 
31 40 
36 36 


101 
183 
330 
607 


8 

15 
28 
49 


92 
88 
82 
69 


Total 1 6651 





3480 


1 49 


1221 




82 



■Shows the proportion of the salts removed as compared with the salt 
originally present in the various depths. 



ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 25 

The data given in the table shows that between September, 
1902, and the following May, 3,171 tons of salt had been removed from 
the soil to a depth of four feet, and that between September 1902 and 
the following October, 5,430 tons had been removed, or 82 per cent of 
the alkali originally in the first four feet of soil. 

The tract was sown to fall rye during the fall of 1903 and this 
plowed under during the spring of 1904 in order to add humus to the 
soil. The land was then seeded to alfalfa with oats as a nurse crop. 
During 1904 a profitable crop of oats was secured and a uniform "stand" 
of alfalfa established. Since that time the alfalfa on this tract has run 
normal and healthy and the fact that the removal of alkali salts by drain- 
age can be accomplished definitely proven. 

Drainage of lands not only removes alkali but prevents water log- 
ging — promotes soil areation and is most desirable farm practice. It is 
to be hoped that the unsightly, forbidding, desolate stretch of waste 
alkali lands near Salt Lake City may be converted into beautiful fruit- 
ful fields of golden harvest, where now there is a dreary waste, through 
the process of drainage. 




26 SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 

DRAINAGE A FACTOR IN THE FUTURE GROWTH 
OF SALT LAKE CITY 

BY 

R. A. Hart, Supervising Drainage Engineer U. S. Department of 

Agriculture. 

It may sound antithetical to say that one of the most important 
factors of the future growth of Salt Lake City, the acknowledged 
capital of the arid west, is the drainage of agricultural lands, yet such a 
statement is capable of proof and it is the purpose of this article to im- 
press upon the public generally the vital importance of this phase of 
reclamation work. 

We must admit that agriculture is the fundamental basis of our 
existence and is the foundation of both manufacture and commerce. 
Utah is primarily an agricultural state and with all due respect to our 
mining and other allied industries, we are compelled to acknowledge 
agriculture as being the one stable producer of private necessities and 
public wealth. 

Science is doing much to assist in the utilization of lands beyond the 
reach of irrigation water but "dry farming," as we choose to call it, must 
for the greater part be confined to the production of annual crops such 
as the grains, while hay, sugar beets, fruit, berries and garden truck 
must continue to be grown on irrigated lands. A wise Providence has 
made it possible to grow grain on the hilltops and the lands above the 
highest canals ; reserving the bottom lands, where water may be more 
easily and cheaply applied, for hay, beets and vegetables, and the slopes 
for fruit and berries which require less water and better air and soil 
drainage. 

The importance of artificial underdrainage may be realized when it 
is known that the amount of agricultural land in the state of Utah now 
unproductive or given over to wet pastures, for want of drainage, is 
equal to at least a fourth of the amount of land in the state actually being 
irrigated. 

Much of this injured area has been productive and has been brought 
to its present condition through a too liberal use of irrigation water. A 
considerable area has always been in the condition in which we now 
see it. Much of the land in Utah that is in need of drainage does not 
present the appearance of a swamp to the eye. In truth much of it is 
dry on the surface and is covered with a deposit of powdered or crystal- 
Hzed salts, known popularly as "Alkali." These salts, however, indicate 
that for a part of each year at least the ground water reaches a danger- 
ous proximity to the surface, such that through the action of capillary 
attraction and evaporation the salts are brought to and deposited upon 
the surface of the ground. 

These salts are, of course, injurious to plant life as is indicated by 
the barren condition of the soil, or by the presence of certain alkaline 
resistent plants such as salt grass, greasewood, alkali heath, etc. It is 



ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 27 

only necessary to provide ample underdrainage to a depth of six feet or 
more and then leach out the salts by a liberal application of irrigation 
water coupled to a vigorous cultivation of the soil. It is impossible to 
wash the salts from the surface by flushing. They must be dissolved and 
leached out into the underdrainage. 

The presence of the salts on the surface indicates that the ground 
water is at such a height that plants would suffer even if there were no 
salts present so underdrainage serves a double purpose. 

It behooves all citizens of this city and state to acquaint them- 
selves with the needs and possibilities of drainage as a factor in agri- 
cultural development. The farmer must understand the situation, 
naturally, as he is directly in touch with it and there is no valley in the 
state in which the problem of water-logging has not been encountered 
and there are few individual farms that could not be improved by drain- 
age. The banker should, by all means, understand the situation because 
lands injured by an excess of water or alkaline salts generally have a 
very low loan value when as a matter of fact most farms which are not 
paying taxes can be improved at a cost of from $15 to $25 an acre and 
be made to yield returns on a valuation of from $100 to $200 per acre. 
One of the greatest obstacles to drainage reclamation is the securing 
of sufficient funds to efifect the reclamation. Business men, professional 
men, manufacturers, railroad heads and men in the building trades 
should understand the situtation because the future of their business 
in this section depends to a considerable extent upon this factor. This 
is true not only because of the present status but because the problem 
grows bigger as time goes on and each new irrigation development 
brings with it an increase in the acreage demanding reclamation by 
drainage. In fact all prudent irrigation companies make a compre- 
hensive drainage system a vital part of their plans when they begin 
a new irrigation project and it is usually safe to avoid projects that 
advertise perfect natural drainage because this is only a relative term 
which applies before irrigation water is put upon the land, but cannot 
apply afterward. Even a high gravelly bench does not have perfect 
natural drainage as is witnessed by the fact that many such benches 
require drainage. Investors are becoming inbued with a new wisdom 
and their inquiry is not, "Is this soil well drained," but, "What pro- 
visions are making for artificial drainage" and "What are the possi- 
bilites of securng a satisfactory outlet for artificial drainage." There are 
few lands so badly alkaHne in this state that they cannot be brought back 
to a high state of cultivation if proper methods are employed but it must 
be remembered that thorough underdrainage is the fundamental basis 
of all such reclamation work. A great deal of agitation is now going 
on throughout the state, looking toward such reclamation, and this will 
be followed by dishonest activities on the part of unscrupulous pro- 
moters to foist worthless lands upon the unsuspecting. It should be re- 
membered that thorough underdrainage is a vital necessity in lands that 
are, have been or may become impregnated with alkaline salts. 

It is not the intention of this article to attempt an enumeration of 



28 SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 

all the sections of the state that may be benefited by drainage but in or- 
der to convince the skeptical of the seriousness and magnitude of the 
problem, attention will be called to sections more or less familiar to the 
general public. 

If a trip to Ogden is made over the O. S. L. it will be observed 
that from Beck's Hot Springs to Kaysville there is a very little land in 
maximum producing condition west of the tracks and that in places the 
wet lands extend across the tracks and even beyond the Interurban line. 
This means that one of the richest valleys known is limited, to a width 
in places, of a fraction of a mile. Beyond Kaysville the Sand Ridge pro- 
jects out into the valley and very little water-logged land is to be seen 
but much may be found in a short drive to the west. The seeped area 
is spreading and the farmers are very active along drainage lines in that 
section. 

This injury will continue on up the slope and in case the Sand 
Ridge is irrigated much of the land below the O. S. L. tracks will re- 
quire drainage. 

West of Ogden is a great territory that should be thoroughly 
drained and continuing north of Ogden it will be observed that the 
productive area narrows down to a mere ribbon as far north as Brigham 
City. Beyond this point the Bear River Valley spreads out its great 
expanse. Thousands of acres of land in this valley have been reclaimed 
by drainage, by individuals and corporations, and much more remains to 
be done. Crossing over the divide we find a great tract of wet land 
in the very heart of Cache Valley. 

Returning to Salt Lake City we are greeted by what has been 
aptly termed the "eye sore of Zion" that vast area of land lying to the 
west, unproductive and useless in its present state but inherently fertile 
and capable of producing rich returns if relieved of its excess water 
and properly cultivated and irrigated. Going south of Salt Lake, water- 
logged land may be found on both sides of the Jordan River while thou- 
sands of acres of land lie on three sides of Utah Lake, much which may 
be reclaimed by gravity canals and much by diking and pumping. 

And so we might continue on down through central valleys of the 
state and then go either west or east to the various other valleys, old or 
new, but enough has been pointed out to set even the most skeptical to 
thinking and to open the writer to the charge of "knocking." It is 
not intended that the information herein given shall be detrimental to 
the interests of this city or state. The truth is good enough for Utah and 
investors are coming to appreciate the truth more than the lurid advertis- 
ing which has been a curse to the west. All irrigated states are con- 
fronted with the problem of drainage, but Utah, the mother of Anglo- 
Saxon irrigation in the west also pioneered in the reclamation of over- 
irrigated lands by artificial underdrainage. The other states followed 
the lead and bid fair to outdo us in drainage activities. It behooves 
us, therfore, to bestir ourselves in an eflfort to regain our lost ground, 
prevent future injury, transform our "eye sores" into garden spots and 
fulfill our destiny of making the desert to blossom as the rose. 



ALKALI AND WATER LOGGED LANDS 29 

TILE DRAINAGE IN THE RECLAMATION OF WATER- 
LOGGED AND ALKALINE LANDS 

BY 

J. C. Wheelon, Chief Engineer, Utah-Idaho Sugar Co. 

Though but little time has heretofore been given to lands which 
■are not producing money crops, it appears that the cultivation of the 
waste places, and the reclamation of the vast tracts of land that are 
now idle and unproductive presents some valuable possibilities for the 
conservation and enhancement of the agricultural resources of the 
country. For, in agriculture even more than in other lines of science 
or business, it is necessary to plan constantly for future improvement 
and expansion. 

While great efiforts are being justly put forth to bring the new and 
as yet unclaimed desert under the life-giving influences of irrigation, 
a very large field of endeavor awaits those who will devote their at- 
tention to the reclamation of lands already under irrigation. 

We may travel the length and breadth of the settled portion of 
Utah and we find on one side the bench lands which are thirsting for 
water, while on the other side we can see the lower lands giving up to 
the unequal contest against over-irrigation, and we find ourselves 
wondering which should have the first aid, the man dying of thirst or 
the one being drowned Personally, I am attracted to the drowning 
one as in no other way can we be so completely convinced that there is 
water to spare for all the needs of the thirsty one. 

While we realize that we in Utah are still in the primer in the 
reclamation of water-logged and alkaline lands, yet the construction 
of seventy-five miles of farm drain tiling in Box Elder County on 
lands belonging to the Utah-Idaho Sugar Co., and others, has been 
both instructive and profitable. 

We have learned that the salt grass and toole swales can be drained 
and made to yield the finest of wild hay, and the ground made dry and 
firm enough to admit teams and wagons ; that water-logged and min- 
eralized sage brush ground can be drained and made to produce oats 
and alfalfa and that old water-logged and non-productive farms can 
be drained and made to produce profitable crops. We finished the tile 
drainage of a field of sage brush in October (1912) and on August 
20th, (1913) there was threshed from this field an average of 35 
bushels of oats per acre and a fairly good stand of young alfalfa that 
was sown with the oats is now growing on the ground. This means 
that the ground was plowed, brushed, leveled, converted into a seed 
bed, harvested and threshed in less than ten months, four months of 
which was winter weather and unfit for working the land. 

In August, 1910, the writer finished a tile drain system on sixty 
acres of water-logged and alkaline alfalfa land that had been cropped 
for several years before the water and mineral "took" it, the lands 



30 SALT LAKE COMMERCIAL CLUB 

were irrigated and twenty-two and a half acres of the most non-pro- 
ductive was measured and Fall plowed. The following Spring (1911) 
the plowed land was planted in oats and alfalfa and in the following 
August an average yield of fifty-one bushels of oats per acre was 
threshed from this twenty-two and a half acres of ground and a good 
stand of alfalfa was secured which is increasing in yield each year. 

Mr. Mathew Baer, who is Superintendent of the Sommer's 
Ranches in Box Elder County and who has been draining lands for 
years both here and in the State of Illinois permits me to say for him 
that he feels safe in expecting enough increase in crop yield in the first 
following year to pay for the cost of tile drainage. 

These results are due not alone to the mechanical improvement re- 
sulting from the placing of a drain system in the land, but rather to 
the competency of the system coupled with the most intelligent process 
of cultivation of the soil in order to renew its former consistency and 
bring about a proper granulation of the soil, flush from the surface 
the mineral concentrated there, thus reducing the quantity from a 
harmful to a helpful amount, and cause (also by irrigation) the re- 
distribution of the helpful quantity down, and through the subsoil. 

We have learned that a few essentials in the reclamation of this 
class of lands are of the utmost importance. The system must be a 
competent one. The placing of a line of drains through a field in a 
haphazard manner means but little toward a competent system. The 
lines should be laid at regular intervals of distances so that every foot 
of ground has nearly equal facility for relief. The lines should be 
about eighty to one hundred feet apart for each foot in depth, thus if 
the lines are laid four feet deep they should be from 350 to 425 feet 
apart, if they are eight or ten feet deep they can be 800 or 1000 feet 
apart according to the texture of the soils, the shallow lines for the 
more heavy clay, the deeper lines for the sandy and more porous soils. 
The outlet discharge should be in the open air and not submerged 
under the water of the stream or pond into which the soil waters may 
be emptied so that aeriation, which is so necessary to the invalided 
lands, can be efifected by the air rushing into the tile over the flow line 
and thus reach the pores of the soil during the winter season when the 
surface is frost bound. 

The land should be leveled and surfaced in such a manner that the 
first irrigation will cover every portion of the field so that the excess 
minerals will be dissolved and carried away in solution. The loss or 
retention of fertility in the soil during the period of their invalidity 
is a matter of much concern ; it seems that where the "Black" alkali 
predominates the minerals, the humus contents of the soil are actually 
consumed, and while in all the alkalines there is at least a trace of 
"Black" alkali the soils and soil waters of Utah are so free from this 
destructive salt that we have seen vegetable and manure dressing re- 
main intact during several years of soil inaction due to mineralization, 
when upon the reclamation of the lands the soil would respond to the 
influence of the fertilizer as readily as if the dressing had been re- 
cently applied. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



002 683 618 9 



